The reforms are aimed at black and ethnic minority women

Home Office minister Baroness Scotland announced plans to tackle issues linked to domestic violence, forced marriage and honour crime at a meeting in London.

A document recommending changes will be published in 2005 after a series of workshops and debates.

Baroness Scotland described domestic violence as "shocking and evil".

We are targeting domestic violence in general and that includes all women Baroness Scotland First-hand accounts of abuse

New measures aimed at enhancing support for victims who are subject to immigration control - and have no recourse to public funds - include a further �80,000 in funding for the Women's Aid Last Resort fund.

The Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND) will also produce a leaflet providing information on how to apply for indefinite leave to remain the UK as a victim of domestic violence.

Commenting on the reforms, Baroness Scotland said: "We are targeting domestic violence in general and that includes all women.

Vulnerable women

"One of the things we have discovered is that domestic violence is no respecter of race, ethnicity, religion or economic group. Therefore black and minority ethnic women are as prone to being subject to domestic violence as anyone else."

She added: "In many cases women from the black and ethnic minority community can have additional problems such as language barriers, cultural barriers and a whole series of other issues which are particularly difficult for them to overcome."

The plans were unveiled by Baroness Scotland at a conference of the Southall Black Sisters, a not-for-profit organisation which works towards improving the plight of ethnic minority women who are subjected to violence at home.

The proposals came on the day when the Domestic Violence Crime and Victims Bill was due to receive its Royal Assent.

Baroness Scotland, the Home Office minister responsible for domestic violence, also announced that the Home Office's Forced Marriage unit would start work in December.

Not enough?

"We have done a lot of research since 2000 when the Foreign Office Forced Marriage Unit was introduced. We now want to expand that by working more closely together," she said.

"It is really going to be a one-stop shop where women can go to get information about forced marriages, both those which happen in this country and forced marriages that happen abroad."

Hannana Siddiqui, joint co-ordinator of Southall Black Sisters, said: "We welcome the Domestic Violence Bill and the reforms for black and ethnic minority victims that have been announced.

"However, the bill was a lost opportunity as it failed to extend reforms to allow social housing benefits for victims of domestic violence subjected to immigration control."